After winning six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls, Phil Jackson accepted Jerry Buss’ invitation to join the Los Angeles Lakers in 1999. Why? The Purple and Gold featured two hungry stars: Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, ready to conquer the world but needing to be on the same page. Five more rings and more than two decades later, the Lakers are finally ready to immortalize Jackson alongside… Shaq, Kobe, and six other world-beaters already enshrined.

The Lakers have officially announced that Jackson will be honored with a permanent statue outside Crypto.com Arena on April 9. The unveiling will take place before the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Jackson led the Lakers across two eras, with coaching stints spanning from 1999 to 2011.

While the honor was long overdue, it remains to be seen who will serve as the Purple and Gold’s governor for the occasion. Shortly after the news broke, Jeanie Buss (for all current intents and purposes) took to social media with a special request for those who were on Jackson’s championship rosters.

“Calling all Lakers players from 1999 – 2004 and 2006 – 2011 – please mark your calendars to be there for PJ!!” Buss wrote in an Instagram comment.

This call to action highlights the long list of icons who played under Jackson’s triangle offense, led by Hall of Famers Shaquille O’Neal, Pau Gasol, and the late Kobe Bryant. In another official statement, Buss, who was once engaged to Jackson, subsequently expanded on his profound impact on the franchise’s identity:

“Phil Jackson defines championship basketball for a reason,” Buss said. “His masterful approach to coaching brought out the best in some of the greatest athletes to ever play the game. After he accepted my dad’s invitation to join the Lakers, Phil’s unmatched creativity and commitment to excellence restored our championship legacy, bringing five titles and setting a standard of excellence for generations to come. It is a great joy to be able to mark that achievement with the statue he so richly deserves.”

Jackson joins an elite fraternity at Star Plaza alongside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Elgin Baylor, Kobe Bryant, Chick Hearn, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, Pat Riley, and Jerry West. Although Jackson had won six titles with the Bulls before arriving in LA, Chicago has yet to build a statue in his honor, making the Lakers the first franchise to immortalize the 11-time championship coach.

The “Zen Master” leads the Lakers in regular-season and playoff wins, with 610 and 118, respectively. Crucially, LA made the postseason every year Jackson was at the helm, including nine 50-plus-win and two 60-plus-win seasons. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007.

In his book ‘Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success,’ Jackson explained how he tackled the biggest obstacle in front of him when he joined the Lakers. In his first season, the Lakers were stuck in a terrible rut. Jackson, who spent ample time assessing the situation, had no choice but to be straight with both Kobe and Shaq.

O’Neal was the elder of the two and the side’s leader, and Jackson explained that a team leader’s primary role is “to build up his teammates, not tear them down.” Meanwhile, Bryant, a future leader, was told that he wouldn’t ever be a captain “if nobody follows you.” The advice didn’t end there, because things didn’t get better.

Then, during a film session, Jackson showcased clips proving that Kobe and Shaq didn’t want to play together. The league veteran, who had already dealt with the MJs of the world in Chicago, openly told the Black Mamba that he would “gladly work out a trade” if the triangle offense didn’t make sense to him.

Shaq was an unbeatable post presence who usually had at least two opponents marking him. That left his Lakers teammates open for kick-out passes, especially Kobe, who could attack closeouts, drive to the rim, or pull up for mid-range jumpers if he agreed to move the ball around. But Kobe wanted to create his own advantage from scratch, and because he didn’t move the ball, they stagnated.

Years later, Jackson admitted that when push came to shove, Kobe and Shaq were “tremendous together.” All they needed to realize was that this was a long-term system, not an emergency one. And with constant mentorship, Kobe realized in a few weeks that playing selflessly didn’t always mean sacrificing creativity.

It all came together that year after the All-Star break. LA went 27-1 and finished the season with the best record in the league: 67-15…

As Lakers legend Rick Fox once put it, Kobe’s me-first attitude “was a land mine that was about to explode. We all knew that somebody had to step on it, but nobody wanted to. So Phil did it, and we all walk a lot more freely now.”

This is only one of many internal LA battles Jackson overcame to become the winningest head coach. Yet while the Purple and Gold prepares to celebrate its storied past, the tribute, along with Jeanie’s statements, comes amid severe uncertainty about her own future as the long-term governor of the Lakers.

Lakers ownership drama could make Phil Jackson’s statue unveiling very different

Jeanie Buss’s public declaration arrives against the backdrop of a major ownership feud playing out both in the courtroom and news headlines. After Mark Walter sold his 64% controlling stake to Thrive Capital founder Joshua Kushner and former Disney CEO for a blockbuster $12.5 billion, the last vestiges of the Buss family’s stake are in the middle of a tug-of-war.

Jeanie is the lone holdout refusing to sell the family stake to Kushner-Iger and is taking her five siblings to court to preserve her authority. Buss’s legal team filed a 97-page petition in Los Angeles Superior Court aimed at blocking her siblings from selling their minority shares of the team to outside buyers.

To maintain her status as governor under NBA rules without outside control, Buss would need to secure a 15% individual stake, but non-selling minority owners have declined to sell their shares to her, making a buyout structurally complex and financially demanding amid the team’s soaring valuation.

Originally set for November 5, the court recently rescheduled the initial hearing on Buss’s petition, at the request of lead counsel Adam Streisand, because of international commitments, pushing the date to December 8. Meanwhile, there might be a new governor in charge after the new ownership takes over.

While initial reporting suggested former Disney CEO Bob Iger and Kushner would split controlling duties, financial reports confirmed that Kushner will be the sole controlling shareholder, i.e., the “general manager” of the team, putting up at least $1.875 billion to satisfy the NBA’s required 15% equity threshold.

On the other hand, Iger is slated to serve as a minority owner and alternate governor, overseeing day-to-day business management rather than serving as the team’s primary decision-maker.

Between the upcoming April statue ceremony for Phil Jackson and the court dates, the NBA Board of Governors will decide whether to approve the Lakers’ sale. Depending on how it goes, either Phil Jackson’s former boss or a new governor will take the podium to unveil his statue.